User blog:MomoQca/Attack on Biahno Hills (dialogue)
Scene 1: BLADE Tower :Lara Nara :Hey there. How's work? :Sorry to bug you when you're busy, but do you think you could help me out with a teeeeensy favor? :It's actually a really juicy offer—has to do with you, me, and my man Clemons here. :Cross :Choice B — Listen: Hear Lara Nara out. :Lara Nara :Mmm, I thought you might be interested. Hard to resist a pretty face like Clemons, after all. :You wouldn't believe what we got up to when we first met! :...Wait, why are you rolling your eyes? You're not even a little bit curious? Sheesh. :How you're not curious about a catch like me is simply mystifying. :Well, there's no accounting for taste, I suppose. :Aaaaanyway, the little job I mentioned actually comes from Clemons. :And since he found the intel, I'll let him do the briefing. :Clemons :Hey there. Like he said, the name's Clemons. So you know the Ganglion fortress north of the city? :I've got witnesses saying they've recently installed some brand-new weapon there. :But the fact they're doing so in secret instead o making it a show of force is worrisome. :That means it's not just a deterrent—they're planning to use it, likely when they think we'll least expect it. :The good news is that they don't know we have this intel yet. :So we need to launch our own surprise attack before they launch theirs, and now is our best chance. :If we're lucky, we might take down their new weapon and the whole fortress to boot. :But that's only if we act fast, which is why we need your help. :Lara Nara :...Seeeeee? Totally legit business offer. :We've already sent in an advance team—they should be working on suppressing the hold's defenses now. :You would be playing escort to a science team we're sending in to analyze whatever this weapon of theirs is. :Ha! There, see? Easy as pie. So get all your little duckies in a row, because you're shipping out ASAP. :Message :Choice A — Accept: Accept this mission? :Lara Nara :...What? Wait, say again? :...Hold on, is that confirmed? :...Oh my gosh, that is AWFUL! :Situation's changed, kiddos! :Our advance team ran into more resistance than we expected and got pretty much...er...wiped out. :The science team is officially canceled. Now I want you to go in there and get whatever's left of the advance team out, pronto! :I know this little job's taken a real turn for the grim, but you're still in, right? :Clemons and I need to focus on information gathering, so you get out there as soon as you can. :We're counting on you. Ta-ta! Scene 2: Biahno Hills :Yusof :Thank you! I'd honestly given up hope. :I can tell you, none of us went into this thing lightly. :But it didn't matter—they knew we were coming. Had a reception party all lined up and waiting. :I don't get it. We were told they didn't know about the intel Clemons got, and yet... :I hate to even consider it, but that leak might have been part of their plan from the beginning. :Still, there's no way Clemons would fall for shady info like that. Of all the BLADEs I know, not him... :Guess there's no point worrying about it here. :I'm afraid I'm the only one left now. The mission's a total failure. :We need to extract out to New LA right now. Planning our next move comes after. :You go on ahead. I'm pretty shook up, but I can make it back on my own. Scene 3: BLADE Tower :Lara Nara :Welcome back, hero! Nice work out there. :That BLADE you saved beat you back here. :It tears me up that he's the only one who made it home, but at least he's doing well. :As for the operation at the north fortress, it seems we all got played for saps. :Clemons sold us out to the Ganglion! His fake intel sent our advance team straight into an ambush. :He's being "questioned" by his CO as we speak. ...And yes, those are total air quotes. :I never would have taken Clemons for a traitor... :Hmmmm? Was that Suriella just now? :You know her, right? New LA's own "town helper"? :Helping people out is sort of her... Well, hobby. And since we can always use the help, we give her PLENTY of opportunities. :Kind of feels like we're taking advantage of her sometimes, but she doesn't seem to mind. :Wonder what's got her in such a hurry, though. :Yusof :Did you see anybody pass by here?! :Lara Nara :Mmm-hmm. Suriella tore through like a bat outta heck. ...Oh, look! She's right behind you! :That is SO weird. I must not have seen you when you doubled back. :Suriella :I didn't double back! The person you saw wasn't me! :It's some alien POSING as me! :Lara Nara :What? ...Wait, WHAT?! :Yusof :That mess at the Ganglion Fortress with the fake intel was them, too. It's a Definian! They can change shape! :I was interrogating Clemons when... Well, I THOUGHT I was interrogating Clemons, but then that Definian showed her true form. :Now she's posing as Suriella and trying to get away! :Lara Nara :So the Clemons that betrayed us was a...fake? :Yusof :You got it. New LA's under lockdown right now—we've got BLADEs in Skells at all the exits. :It's physically impossible for her to get out through that.'' :So now it's our job to find her. And honestly, we could use some help. :'''Lara Nara :A shape-shifter, huh? Talk about a pain in the glutes... :Suriella :If there's anything I can do to help, please tell me. :Lara Nara :You can stay put right here, honey. :Suriella :But... :Lara Nara :Girl, that thing is impersonating you! If you go wandering around, you'll only be in the way. :So leave this one to us, okay? We've got this. :Suriella :...... :Lara Nara :All right. We've got a Definian to catch! :We know that sneaky snake is somewhere in the city, and that she was last seen looking like Suriella. :I'll start out in the administrative district. You take a look in the commercial district. Scene 4: Commercial District :Clemons :Oh, are you the BLADE Lara hired to help? :...Whoa, hold on! I'm the real Clemons, not the Definian with the bum intel! :I didn't even realize I'd been impersonated. :I was out of the city on a mission. I get back, and all of a sudden I'm in some weird nightmare. :And now that thing's impersonating Suriella! Well, I haven't seen her around here, so maybe you should try searching a different area. :Wait, before you go... :I just heard somebody say they saw a body in the industrial district. :Could be related to this case. :Lara said he was on his way there now. Maybe it's worth meeting up with him? :You might just...learn something new. :Later! Scene 5: Central Industrial District :Lara Nara :Um, Cross? Why are you here...? :Oh well. Doesn't matter. Take a look at this body. :It's Clemons. ...The real Clemons. Poor guy. :I'd say time of death was about a week ago. Killed by the same Definian who set up the ambush, is my guess. :Cross :Choice A — Consider: Think about Clemons's time of death. :Lara Nara :Mmm? What is it? Something stick out to you about his time of death? :Judging by the body, I'm pretty confident in my guess. :But if not a week, then it's been here a few days at the very least. :...Yeeees? You're still staring at me all funny. Are you coming to a realization here or what? :Look, even if you're not sure yet, let's hear it. :Cross :Choice A — Declare: Say that you saw the suspect. :Lara Nara :What? Where?! :Why didn't you stop her?! :...Wait, you talked to Clemons just now? :It has to have been that nasty Definian... :She knew you hadn't seen this body yet, so she turned back into Clemons to fool you! :Rrgh! This is SO infuriating! :We're going to find her! ...Er, him. Whatever! And then we're going to— :Ooops, one second. Emergency message. ...Huuuuuh? What the heck is THIS?! :Suriella and Clemons are fighting outside the city! That Clemons has to be our perp! :I'll head out as soon as I can gear up, but you go on ahead. They're at the little island west of the city. Scene 6: Primordia :Clemons :Your methods are soft! You risk destroying the bond of trust we have built up over long years of work! :The Ganglion have faith in Definian spies above all others for a reason—I will not let you compromise that. :Suriella :But that is myopic! My methods are sound. :There is intelligence that cannot be acquired save by blending in with humankind, earning their trust, and understanding their ways. :Is that not the ideal to which any spy should aspire? :I have simply been putting it into practice. :Clemons :And in the process, you have grown attached to them. :Suriella :What...? :Clemons :You've immersed yourself in their society for too long. It has tainted you! :To be entrusted with a mission as grand as infiltrating and destroying the human stronghold from the inside... :Any Definian would be thrilled to earn such trust... :And then you betray us like this?! :Suriella :I... I haven't... :Clemons :Then why do you struggle for words? If you hold no love for humans and remain loyal to the Ganglion, why do you not deny these claims outright?! :Suriella :...... :Clemons :Hmph. You have no response because there isn't one. :I take your silence as confirmation of your betrayal! :DE913: Dieara :You are relieved of your mission to destroy humanity. I will take over from this point! :HT665: Erio :Dieara, wait! :DE913: Dieara :Don't worry, dear Erio. I am not without mercy. :I will allow you to die as a Definian—to rest eternal in your true form. :HT665: Erio :Rrrrgh! :DE913: Dieara :...Well, in good time, at any rate. :But before we can resolve our differences, it seems we have an interruption to deal with. :HT665: Erio :...... :DE913: Dieara :It appears that your beloved humans have finally pieced it all together. :So I will deal with you just as soon as we've buried this fool! Scene 7: Primordia :HT665: Erio :...I take it you heard everything. :It's true. I am a Definian spy sent by the Ganglion to infiltrate your city. :In the chaos following New LA's landing here, a woman named Suriella died and I took her place. :Ever since, I have been living as a human. :In other words, the human you have known as Suriella since the founding of New LA has been...me. :I have kept the same identity all this time, save for one brief exception. :The Clemons you met in the commercial district? That was also me. :I did it to alert you that the Clemons who deceived you was a fake. :And also to buy time to confront Dieara, who had been posing as Clemons. :I needed you to find the real Clemons's body. :As to why I did it, it's as you heard Dieara say. :Over the course of my life with your kind, I began to feel joy for the first time since my life began. :To put it as a human might...color came into my life. It was exhilarating. :But as a result, I started to have doubts about my mission for the Ganglion, and began to entertain serious thoughts of desertion. :However, I know none of that excuses what I've done. I was a Ganglion spy. This cannot be denied. :But at least allow me to face my punishment honestly, as a human might. :Cross :Choice B — Forgive: Allow the Definian to go free. :HT665: Erio :Ridiculous. You would simply let me walk away? :...You are cruel. :You must know I have nowhere to go now! :Lara Nara :Aaand that's enough of a pity party, darling. :I hate to just jump in after you two have hashed things out, but I'm preeeety much going to. :If you don't mind, I'll take care of things with our little Definian friend. :And don't go thinking I'm just a sucker for a sob story. :We don't know anywhere near enough about the Definians, and this one's going to help us fix that. :As for what happens to her after that, I'll have to have a long chat with Commander Vandham. :I assume you have no complaints with that? Mmm? Not that it matters... :Done, then! So I'll be taking things from here. :But that doesn't mean I don't appreciate all you did. You can be sure I'll give you a ringing endorsement to the higher-ups in my report. :And don't worry about this one—I won't let them go too hard on her. :Think you can trust me on this? Thanks, hot stuff! :Oh, and maybe next time we can meet up for something a little more casual. Dinner, maybe. Put it on your calendar! Category:Blog posts